Roller-skate.



C. V. GUSTIN.

ROLLER SKATE.

APPLICATION FILED rss. I4. ma.

1,271,891. Patented July 9.1918.

INVENTOH ATTORNEY CLYDE V. GUSTIN, OF MONETT, MISSOURI.

ROLLER-SKATE.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Julyr 9,1918.

Application filed February 14, 1918.` Serial No. 217,110.

To all lwhom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, CLYDn V. GUs'rrN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Monett, in the county of Barry and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Roller-Skatesf which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to skates, and more especially to those having rollers instead of runners, and the object of the same is twofold. First, my object is to provide the skate runner with a stop disposed out of the transverse center of the skate and forward of its foremost roller so that when the user tips his rearward foot inward in the act of making a stroke `by causing his forward foot to glide over the iioor, the stop engages the same to enable him to push or impel himself forward. Second, I propose to make use `of a new form of roller which is in effect a sphere mounted in ball bearings, and several types of the latter are shown.

-The following specication sets forth ample means for carrying lout both ideas, and reference is made to .the drawings hereto attached and in which l Figure l is a bottom plan View -Of the left skate, partly in section,

Fig. 2 is a central longitudinal section through the same, and

Fig. 3 is a transverse section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4: is a vertical section of a slightly different form of roller.

Fig. 5 is a bottom plan view of the left skate with a different form of stop.

Instead of a runner as in an ice skate or a base having bearings in which wheel-like rollers are mounted, I make the runner of this skate substantially in the shape of the sole of the shoe in contour, preferably of wood, and of considerable thickness. The runner is designated in the drawings lby the numeral 1, and its upper face at its forward portion is dished as at 2 to receive the shoe-sole while its rear portion is recessed as at 3 to receive the heel. The means for fastening this runner to the shoe are not shown, as they form no part of the present invention. This runner-like block has an offset 4: from its inner edge just in rear of its toe, and in Fig. 1 this oli'- set is shown as containing a recess 5 within which is journaled a roller moving in a plane strictly parallel to the longitudinal line of the runner. The runner 1 shown in Fig. 5 has the same offset, but in place of the recess and roller, it hasa rubber pad 7 either secured to ory depending from the runner or Vmounted fixedly in a .recess therein. Either element constitutes rwhat I call a stop, and depends below the lower face Vof the runner to an extent best seen in Fig. 2.. The purpose of this feature will be explained in detail below.

' Instead of Yhaving the wheels or rollers in direct alinement along the transverse center of the runner, VI preferably use three wheels or rollers, disposing two of them under the ball of the foot and one directly under the heel, although this is not absolutely necessary. The rollers in the present instance are shown in the form of spheres 10, each mounted in ball bearings within appropriate sockets in the material of the runner. These balls 11 are shown in'Figs. 2 and 3 as occupying zones 12 which are in the shape ofv annular balls races lsurrounding the spheres at vdierent heights. The balls 11 in Fig. 4L are shown as mounted in arcuate racesl and 13', lpreferably standing at right angles to each other as indicated, and each race is lined with metal as indicated at 14:. The balls or spheres are also preferably metal and of considerable size, but whatever the character of the ball bearings by which they are supported, the lower sides of the spheres project below the lower face of the runner as seen in Fig. 2 at 16 to a greater distance than does the lower side of the stop 6 project below said face. The result is that when the user rests his foot squarely on the rollers, his weight is sustained by them and the stop is not in contact with the surface. This is true whether there are three rollers or two and whether the rollers are wheels or spheres as shown. The advantage of ball bearing rollers or spheres over those having ordinary bearings is too well known to need repetition here.

A roller skate embodying both these features of improvement possesses the following advantages: The skater may use it as usual, and in addition he may stand squarely on both feet or on either foot, because each foot has three points of support; and this is especially useful where the Skater has a weak ankle. When gliding forward, all rollers are kept in contact with the surface while the foot is making its stroke, but when skating more rapidly and the user wants to push with the rear foot, theadvantage of having the stop beomes apparent. Now while the right foot is forward and the left foot to the rear and to one side `of .theA

line of progress, the skater tips his foot in- Warda tlittle so lthatthe-stop is thrown finto Contact with the surface,nand then pushing transversely of the foot, he ximpe'ls himself forward. Such is the operation whether the stop` is varoller as shown in Fig. `l` or a pad or plug of vrubber as shown in Fig. '5, and -in fact 1the roller might 'itself be rubber. When proceeding straight forward, if the 'roller should touc'h the surface it will sim- "p'ly v'rotate Vwhereas the pad 'would become worn if ittouched the'surface, but when the lfoot istilted 'asdescrib'edfand either the roller or the pad broughtrfinto contact with the 'surface and Ais pushed transversely of vthe foot, the skater is imp'elled forward as has been explained. Thisresult'follows whether jt'here'are three rollers in therunner or two, but 'it is necessary that the stop `shou'ldhe disposed transverselyout of alinement with the vvtransverse center of the runner. Also 'itis advisable that'thest'op shall bedisposed fforwardofthe foremost roller, so that if he `desiresto do so 'the skater may at anytime tilthis toe downward 'a little andthrowi'the stop into Contact with :the surface. If the vstopflo'e ofthe pad type shown in Fig. 5, it 'now acts'a's a brake. Again,bral ing`eect may b'e reduced'if the operator cantsihistoe upward'slightly and drags'the 'heel end or krear Yend of the runner on the surface. These several possibilities follow from the fact that the lower end ofthe runner travels so near the surface which is permitted by embedding` the sphere-like rollers into the block -or 'element constituting the runner :rather than mounting them in bearings beneath said block as inlthelordinary type of roller skate. A A.

What is claimed -as new ist- Y Ina 'ro'ller skate, thecombination 'with a 'block-like Arunner conforming on Yits 'upper face with'theshape of the shoeesol'e, shaving an lovifset at Vthe inner forward side thereof,

lthe offset provided with 'an Aupright recess parallel with the 'longitudinal raxis of Athe runner and "openinoI at its lower face, vsaid lower face *being f' at and provided with sockets surrounded by 'Y'.b`all races; of'balls in said races,-spheres mounted in 'said sockets and vprojectingbelow vthe lower face of `said fblockaand a roller mounted in said recess and projecting'alsobelow said 'lower face a l 'less distance than the spheres, two of the Elatter being provided yat'opposite sides of Vthe longitudinal aXi's Aof the block V`and in rear ofsaid'roller, and asingle sphereunder Inltestimony whereof Iaifix my signature in presence'oftwo witnesses.'v l

CLYDE V. lGrUSTIN. WVitnesses:

' JO'EYA. MARTIN, OUH. HUDsoN.

" 'Upies of this 'patent may be 'obtained for' ve cents "each, by *addressing the Commissioner f y.Eatents, 'Washingtom D. G. 

